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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

What Makes a Great Blogger? Virginia, the HomeRearedChef, is One Year Old Today

Virginia’s, one year anniversary is today. She has been blogging for a year at BlogHer, and has logged over 195 posts. When I say she is amazing, I do not exaggerate. Although I am a little prejudiced, for I am proud to have her as a friend.

What makes Virginia, a.k.a. HomeRearedChef, such a great blogger that people feel they MUST read her blog to make their day complete?

Yes, I’m going to go there.

1.She is sincere. If Virginia says it, she means it. She is rarely sarcastic. Good grief, a little sarcasm is okay, but aren’t some blogs just swimming in it?

2.Virginia is funny, but she doesn’t make fun of other people. She may turn her gentle humor on herself, but she doesn’t have anything even close to a mean streak. Again, do we really need more ranting and raving in the world?

3.She stands up for herself. She can tell about low points in her life, but she doesn’t apologize for being human. She is not afraid to be authentic. You can always tell the post is one of Virginia’s. She has her own voice; you would never mistake her for anyone else.

4.She is not a girl-scout or too goody-goody to be true. She has made mistakes and had bad times in her life, she writes about them, and readers feel validated and not shamed if they have shared a similar experience.

5.She is friendly; she is welcoming. Reading her posts makes readers feel like they are sitting at her kitchen table.

6.She is not afraid to be emotional, but doesn’t overdo it. She knows that some events in life are worth crying about.

7.She is thoughtful. She learns from others, so that her blog is not a one-way street.

8.She is modest. She really doesn’t know how good a writer she is.

9.She praises others even when she disagrees with them. She appreciates her readers.

10.She has LIVED. She has had a life rich with love, happiness, and sorrow. She lives every day that has been given to her. She writes about it all, the bitter and the better.

I can’t believe how lucky I was to find her kind, compassionate voice. Let’s celebrate a Blogging Queen, Virginia!

28 comments:

Oh, Melanie, mi Querida Amiga, you leave me speechless, at a real loss for words. But I must tell you that I feel my heart thumping against my chest, with love to overflowing for you.

Why couldn't I have met you when I was a young girl first come to the United States?

Why couldn't I have met you when I was getting into so much trouble in Junior High and High School? Maybe you would have talked me out of it!

Why do you have to live so far away?

You are the most sincere person I know; you wear your heart on your sleeve. But I, too, have noticed the kindness with which you speak to your followers. All your commentators talk to you as if they've known you all their lives.

Sometime I may get a little jealous, because I want to shout at all of them and say "I found her first. She was my friend first!" LOL! (What a brat I am. I know.)

Remember, Amiga, our casa is your casa too. If you and your Honeys can ever make your way to visit us here in California, I have a room just for you. :)

This was the easiest blog post I ever wrote-- I had to stop myself at #10! You make me laugh and cry at the same time, but that's just typical of you. :)If we had met as girls... I was probably more mixed up than you were, so we might have driven off a cliff like Thelma and Louise. Probably we were meant to meet now, for the safety of us both. I know I have said before that you saved me, and I don't exaggerate. I remember reading your post about menopause, thinking, HomeRearedChef? Here is a woman who understands what I'm going through and is not afraid to talk about it.You are my first blogging buddy and that is a special bond, don't you worry. We are sisters!If you and Lancelot Knight come East, you will stay with us. We will send the men fishing and talk each others ears off.I love you too-- what an amazing year it has been! Bear Hugs!

I just wanted to tell you, Melanie, that since I could only shout your blog about me here at home, with only hubby to hear me (he also read it), I have Tweeted and Facebooked it too. I want my family and friends on Facebook to see who Melanie is, a woman I am so very proud to call MY FRIEND...Mi Amiga! :)

Awe, heck, I feel bad because I should have mentioned that since Elaine and hubby love to travel, they are also welcome to come out to California to visit our home with all the freakin' deer that are devouring my flourishing trees. *Calming down here!* LOL!

Elaine, I solemnly promise you and Melanie to create healthy but tasty dishes when you visit. I could also threaten to come out that way too. *Be very afraid!* :)

Hi, M.M! I should have been more clear about how to find Virginia. I'll go back and revise the post, but in case you are looking for her, check at BlogHer.com. Virginia generally has at least one post listed under most popular and you can also find her if you search for HomeRearedChef! Thanks for reading, my friend!

Virginia is such a wonderful person! She always...ALWAYS...has something nice to say, a warm greeting...EXTREMELY genuine. And yes, it is such a joy to read posts from someone who has such a wonderful outlook on life and the world. I'm glad to have gotten to know her via BlogHer and I feel HORRID that I am not making a bigger effort to see her beautiful face in person...'cause I can ya know...she only lives a few miles from me. I'm just being a stupid hermit.

Oh, Melissa, don't you call my girlfriend names! Yes, you. Besides, I am a bigger hermit than you are, nya-nya. But seriously, she is one of those people who puts a smile on my face just to think of her. Kinda like that other chick, Alienbody. :-) So there.

I tink Nurse Elaine had it right: it takes one to know one. Of course I will check out Virginia's site, but I was checking off each of the ten qualities you described, wondering if maybe Virginia and Melanie are one and the same. I really liked this post.